‘This is actually my second win’: Innisfil lottery player scratches his way to top crossword prize

The words wrist, quit, and gate were ones that helped bring Innisfil’s Edward Warne a $250,000 top prize with INSTANT CROSSWORD DELUXE.

“This is actually my second win this year,” Warne said, while at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up his cheque. “I won $100,000 on another INSTANT game back in March.”

The 67-year-old retired computer consultant was at home playing his lottery game when he started matching words. “I pulled out my phone to check my ticket using the OLG Lottery App, then ran downstairs to show my daughter because I couldn’t get the words out fast enough,” he said.

Next, Warne called his wife with the news.

“She was crying and laughing – I had to go get her.”

“My pulse has been going nuts since this happened,” he said. “I have a lot of mixed emotions. With big money comes big responsibility.”

Warne plans to enjoy a more comfortable retirement and travel when the pandemic is over.

INSTANT CROSSWORD DELUXE is available for $10 a play and the top prize is $250,000. Odds of winning any prize are 1 in 3.45.

The winning ticket was purchased at Sobey’s on Jans Boulevard in Innisfil.